… As Ministry of Information holds Retreat for Staff
Public Affairs Officers under the employ of the State Government have been advised to be consistent in seeking information that would enrich their knowledge base about government plans, programmes and policies to effectively discharge their duties as the image maker of the State Government.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olumide Sogunle gave this charge at the opening ceremony of a retreat for senior staff with the theme: “Building a Productive Workforce”, held at the Dover Hotel, Ikeja on Thursday.
Sogunle, while charging the participants to be deliberate about shaping people’s perception, maintained that Pubic Affairs Officers must not be desirous about happenings within the government circle alone but must also be deeply rooted about activities that affect the society generally, such that their perceptions can further be broadened.
The Permanent Secretary charged the government employees to do something to stand out of the crowd by adding real-time value in their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies
He told participants at the Retreat, “There is no way you can become successful in life through lackadaisical attitudes, thus, it behoves you to start doing something to make a difference and stand out from the crowd”.
In his welcome address, the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Adesegun Ogundeji urged participants to continue to maximise the use of social media in positively projecting the image of the State Government in Nigeria and beyond.
One of the facilitators at the Retreat, who is also the Director of Social Media Department, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Jide Atansuyi exposed the Public Affairs Officers to how they can properly optimise and utilise social media platforms to gain mileage and tractions while engaging their audience.
In the same vein, an Ace broadcaster, Ayo Makinde while delivering his lecture, noted that social media is the ultimate equaliser as it gives a platform to anyone willing to engage. He, therefore, urged the participants to continually engage with people both online and offline
Also, another facilitator, Mr. Niyi Babade, a videographer of international repute, took the participants through the nitty gritty of production and how technical knowledge of what broadcast productions entails can assist in enhancing public relations functions.
The opening session of the retreat also had in attendance some Directors from the Ministry of Information and Strategy including the Director of Strategy Centre, Mr Kayode Oyekanmi, Director of Public Enlightenment, Mr. Goke Folayan, Director of Information Production, Mrs. Funmi Adesanya, Director Admin and Human Resource, Mrs. Ramlat Seriki-Oriola and the Editor of Alausa Alert, Mr. Tayo Ogunbiyi among others.
